It was a rocky weekend across the board for the Rangers’ NCAA crop, with Ty Henricks and Western Michigan taking the biggest tumble in the rankings after a pair of losses.
Western Michigan entered the weekend at No. 5 and came out sitting sixth after falling twice, including a brutal 3-2 loss to top-ranked Michigan on Friday when the game winner was buried with 0.1 seconds left in regulation. Henricks, a junior, was blanked in that one while skating left wing on the Broncos’ third line.
He did put two shots on goal. On Saturday, Western Michigan was shut out 4-0 by No.
6 Wisconsin in an exhibition, and Henricks again came away without a point.
Even with the quiet weekend, Henricks still has solid early-season numbers. Through five games, he’s tied for second on Western Michigan with 17 shots on goal. He has two goals, one assist and a plus-2 rating.
Michigan’s Malcolm Spence helped swing that Friday result. The sophomore picked up a secondary assist on the Wolverines’ second goal, which came 1:05 into the third period and pushed Michigan into a 2-1 lead.
Michigan had only that one game on the schedule, and the undefeated Wolverines kept their No. 1 ranking. Spence is humming along at better than a point per game with eight points - four goals and four assists - in seven games.
Denver also stayed hot, though Ben MacBeath didn’t get on the scoresheet. The defending NCAA champions beat No.
17 Boston College 5-2 on Friday, with MacBeath elevated to the second defense pair on the left side. He put three shots on goal and finished plus-2.
The teams then skated to a 2-2 tie Saturday after overtime, and MacBeath didn’t register a shot. Denver climbed from No. 4 to No. 3 in this week’s rankings.
North Dakota’s weekend went the other direction. E.J.
Emery and the Fighting Hawks were swept by previously winless Minnesota, starting with a 5-3 loss Thursday that featured a four-goal third period from the Gophers. Emery had two shots on goal, finished minus-1 and took a roughing minor in the first period.
He took another roughing minor Friday in a second 5-3 defeat, while North Dakota was out-shot 45-22 and still couldn’t avoid the sweep. The Hawks fell from No. 3 to No.
UConn’s Charlie Morrison had a busy Hockey East opener, but not in the box score. The No.
16 Huskies let a two-goal third-period lead get away Thursday before edging No. 17 Boston College 5-4 in overtime.
Morrison did not record a point or a shot. He was held off the scoresheet again Saturday in a 6-3 loss at No.
14 Boston University, finishing minus-1.
Michigan State and Sean Barnhill split their series with New Hampshire, but the Spartans were stunned Friday before bouncing back Saturday. No.
2 Michigan State was upset 1-0 by unranked New Hampshire, managing just 14 shots and not reaching double digits until the third period. Barnhill did not record a point in either game and now has one assist in five games this season.
The Spartans recovered for a 2-1 win Saturday, then dropped two spots to No. 4.
Lake Superior State and Raoul Boilard also came out of the weekend with a split, though the Lakers took a hit in their CCHA opener. Bowling Green beat Lake Superior State 5-2 Friday, with Boilard playing third-line center after beginning the season as the team’s first-line center.
He had one shot on goal, finished minus-1 and won 8 of 14 face-offs. Saturday, the Lakers fell again, 4-2, and Boilard was still on the third line.
He went pointless on three shots, finished plus-1 and won 7 of 12 face-offs. Boilard has three assists in six games this season.
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Garand has become the name the Rangers have had to trust while the rest of the depth chart sorts itself out, and the contrast with Shesterkin has been hard to miss. Managements decision to lock up Shesterkin long-term already looked important when the deal was signed, and it feels even more significant now with the team trying to survive without the kind of netminding it was built to expect. [Read more 🡒]